The present invention relates to portable power supplies for providing power to DC-operated equipment, and more particularly to a versatile carrying pouch including a 12 volt battery with attached receptacles for supply of DC power to and from the battery.
The proliferation of portable electronic devices which operate on DC has led to the provision of likewise portable DC power supplies which may be used to-operate such equipment and/or to recharge the batteries thereof. Examples of such devices are laptop and notebook computers, cellular telephones, portable CD and audio tape players, and portable video equipment. Often one or more charging cords are provided with the purchase of such equipment to permit operation and/or recharging the batteries thereof from an AC outlet or from a car battery via the cigarette lighter receptacle.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a portable DC power supply having novel and improved structural features.
A further object is to provide a portable DC power system including a versatile carrying case having a compartment for a battery of convenient size with easily accessible receptacles for supply of power to and from the battery as well as compartments for other uses.
Another object is to provide a portable DC power system wherein receptacles for transmitting DC power both from and to a battery physically accessible only upon opening a compartment of a carrying case wherein the battery is mounted.
Other objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.
The present invention includes a commercially available storage battery of the lead-acid type in a plastic casing of box-like configuration. In the disclosed embodiment, the battery has a 12 volt output at 2.9 ampere-hours. An L-shaped bracket is affixed to one side of the battery casing with one leg of the bracket extending outwardly from that side. The outwardly extending leg has a pair of openings in which are respectively mounted a first receptacle corresponding in size and configuration to a standard automobile cigarette lighter receptacle, and a second receptacle sized and configured to accept a conventional charging connector.
The battery is mounted within, and preferably affixed to, an internal compartment of a carrying case of flexible fabric. Although the carrying case may take any of a wide variety of configurations, it preferably includes a plurality of zippered, or otherwise selectively closured, compartments one of which contains the internal compartment for the battery. Relative dimensions are such that a portion of the battery extends above the upper edge of the internal compartment wherein it is mounted and the outwardly extending leg of the bracket is substantially flush with the upper edge of the internal compartment, offering unobstructed access to the two receptacles while concealing all or most of the wires connecting the receptacles to one another and to the battery terminals. A fuse is placed in the positive lead from the lighter receptacle to the battery terminal and is positioned in a holder accessible on the side of the battery opposite the receptacles. A diode is positioned in the lead from the charging receptacle to the positive side of the battery.
Electrical leads with suitable connectors at opposite ends are preferably provided with the portable power supply and, when not in use, stored in one or more of the compartments of the carrying case. One such lead has a plug on one end matable with a cigarette lighter receptacle on one end and a connector matable with a charging receptacle on the other end. This lead may be used for supplying power either to or from the portable battery. That is, the plug may be inserted into the lighter receptacle of the portable power supply and the connector into the charging receptacle of the portable electronic equipment to provide operating and/or charging power to the latter; alternatively, the plug may be inserted into the lighter receptacle of a vehicle and the connector into the charging receptacle of the portable power supply to charge the battery thereof from the vehicle battery. A second such lead has on one end a connector matable with the charging receptacle of the portable power supply and on the other end an AC-DC converter with prongs for insertion into a standard AC outlet for charging the battery of the portable power supply. A third such lead may be provided, having plugs on both ends for respective insertion into the lighter receptacles of both the portable power supply and a vehicle for purposes of supplying DC power to a vehicle having a dead battery; although the power provided would probably not be sufficient to start the vehicle, it could operate the emergency flashers or other low-power electrical elements of the vehicle for a limited time.
The foregoing and other features of construction and operation of the invention will be more readily understood and fully appreciated from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.